ERIC CONNOR.

ITALY.

꘎♡━━━━━━━♡꘎

The lab light is cold — almost cutting — and the air smells of cheap antiseptic and rusted metal. I'm sitting in front of a stainless steel table, surrounded by test tubes and blood plates caked with dried clots. My hands are covered in worn, yellowish latex gloves from constant use. My left arm is pinned to my body in an awkward, immobilized position. The dull pain beneath the bandage reminds me every second that I’m not in control — not of my space, not o